Metropolitan Onuphry sends greetings to conference participants in Kharkiv

Kharkiv Theological Seminary is hosting a conference on October 9, 2026. Photo: seminary.church.ua

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry sent a message of greeting to the organizers and participants of the Fifth International Scientific and Practical Conference, "Current Issues in Theology and Church History." According to the UOC press service, the conference is taking place on October 9, 2026, at Kharkiv Theological Seminary.

The message was addressed to Metropolitan Onuphry of Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv, rector of the seminary. The Primate noted that academic conferences at the seminary have become a welcome annual tradition, bringing together hierarchs, clergy, faculty members, scholars, and students to discuss theology and Church history.

This year's conference coincides with several significant anniversaries: the 185th anniversary of the seminary's official opening, the 30th anniversary of its revival, and the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Holy Protection Monastery.

The Primate traced the history of theological education in the Kharkiv region back to 1726, when a Greek-Latin-Slavic school was established in the eparchy, modeled on the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The Kharkiv Collegium later became a center of education, scholarship, and culture, while the seminary, opened in 1841, continued the tradition of training future pastors.

According to Metropolitan Onuphry, theological education was interrupted in the 20th century, but the Church's traditions were preserved. The school resumed operations 30 years ago, gradually developing from a pastoral and theological school into a seminary. The Primate credited Metropolitan Nikodym (Rusnak) with playing a particularly important role in its revival, noting that Metropolitan Onuphry of Kharkiv continues this work today.

The UOC Primate also pointed out that the conference is being held on the feast day of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the seminary's heavenly patron. He recalled the apostle's words, "God is love" (1 John 4:16), emphasizing that this truth is the foundation of Christian life and theological scholarship. The Primate wished the participants wisdom, spiritual benefit, and fruitful work for the glory of God.

As the UOJ previously reported, Kharkiv Theological Seminary participated in an international academic conference in Kharkiv. The first conference on "Current Issues in Theology and Church History" was held at the seminary in 2017, and the event has since become a regular gathering.

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